'On the way, he suffered a heart attack'

Satish Kaushik passed away following a heart attack early on Thursday morning, said his close friend and industry colleague Anupam Kher. He was 66.

According to Kher, Kaushik was at a friend's home in Delhi when he complained of uneasiness.

"He felt uneasy and he told the driver to take him to the hospital. On the way, he suffered a heart attack, at around 1 am," Kher told PTI.

In a tweet earlier, Kher said he was shocked to hear about Kaushik's sudden death.

'I know that death is the ultimate truth but never in my dreams I thought that I would have to write that about my best friend Satish Kaushik. A sudden full stop to 45 years of friendship. Life will never be the same without you Satish! Om Shanti,' Kher tweeted.

An alumnus of the National School of Drama and the Film and Television Institute of India, Kaushik was best known for his roles in films such as Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Mr India, Deewana Mastana and Udta Punjab.

Known for his comic timing, Kaushik was also a director.

His most popular films as a film-maker are Salman Khan-starrer Tere Naam and Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Tusshar Kapoor.

Kangana Ranaut, who worked with Kaushik in her upcoming film Emergency, remembered the actor as a 'kind and genuine man'.

'Woke up to this horrible news, he was my biggest cheerleader, a very successful actor and director #SatishKaushik ji personally was also a very kind and genuine man, I loved directing him in Emergency. He will be missed, Om Shanti,' she tweeted.

He is survived by his wife and daughter.